


Demand For Execution

by Lulaypp



Series: Whumptober 2020 [8]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: (Maybe a touch of bittersweet??), Angst, Bruce and Dick are only there for the ending, Gunshot, Hurt, Hurt with no actual comfort, I you have read the previous part, Kinda wanting death, Pain, Sad Ending, Unmentioned bleeding out, Whump, Whumptober, You know how it ends, life threats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26885728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lulaypp/pseuds/Lulaypp
Summary: Tim should not save him. Not if it kills people.(An Altenate POV fic of Choice of Execution. Can probably be read on its own.)
Relationships: Jason Todd & Tim Drake
Series: Whumptober 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949758
Kudos: 38
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Demand For Execution

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober Day 9 - For The Greater Good
> 
> This was written just a few days ago. It is an alternate POV story for my other fic, Choice of Execution. I don't really know if it can be read separately, but I think it might work better if it is read as one as I might have accidentally made this one less coherent story-telling/building/setting wise because I already set things up in the previous one. But I think it is possible to read?  
> Also, how is this 2k? The first one was just a little over 1k. Is it the hurt? The Jason? The Jason and Tim bonding? I do not know.
> 
> WARNINGS: I killed. One character. A major character.  
> Since this carries on from my Day 2 story and it is from the perspective of one of the people who are threatened, it has elements of life-threatening and kinda wanting to die (to save others).  
> Also, A LOT of pain. Emotional and physical. And a gunshot and all that entails.
> 
> This is definitely one of my favourites of my stories for Whumptober this year. It was really exciting. I wrote it some days after I posted the Day 2 story.
> 
> Hope you like it! :)

The world is muted. Well, almost. 

The pain is still mostly there. It surges at the smallest of movement. Even blinking hurts, which probably would have been a funny thought if it wasn't for the circumstances. 

Sound is rather muffled. It _was_ fine, but the idiot had decided to whack his head earlier. Now, while he _can_ tell who is talking, words elude him, phonetics merging into murky syllables. 

His sight is hazy. He can make out the fuzzy shape of Red Robin poised ahead of him. His face, no doubt shattered with conflict, is hard to see, especially with that cowl of his on. 

But despite all that, there is one thing he is clear on. 

Tim should _not_ save him. 

Unable to form coherent words through the gag tied around his head, Jason stared at his brother, trying to convey his message. He doesn't want Tim to let a bunch of people die just to help him. He can take a bullet to the head. It might hurt, but he should die quite soon after. 

It is not like he isn't already riddled in pain. 

It is not like he had never died before. 

If he's to be honest, he doesn't want to die, it wasn’t fun doing it the first time and he prefers not doing it again anytime soon, but if it saves people... Hesitation might linger, but he puts his life on the line almost every night. Why not do it one last time? 

His eyes moved to the man standing a foot from him, the gun in the man's hand unflinching, as he stepped closer. With a glare, Jason growled defiantly through the cloth between his teeth, pressing down the urge to back away. It is not like he has anywhere to go. His broken fingers can't loosen the think ropes around his wrists tying him to the chair. The man's unarmed hand shot out, fingers curling through and pulling Jason's hair. 

Jason screwed his eyes shut, trying to drown out the pain shooting into his mind, a hiss slipping between his stuffed teeth as he held back the reflex to wrench away. Something cold and hard was pushed against his head. The gun. 

Jason forced away the fear rising in his mind. This _needs_ to happen. His life for the innocents'.

_If_ _only_ _Tim would comply._

Red Robin turned ever so slightly to computerised system to his left that would trigger the bomb in a nearby building. The bomb that would kill so many if not disarmed in the next few minutes. Jason doesn't know how much time was left but it cannot be long. Last he was aware, it was six minutes and that was _before_ Red Robin arrived. 

Jason ground his teeth against the cloth in his mouth, half hoping that it would tear so he can tell his brother to _stop being an idiot and stop the stupid ticking bomb_. He can feel the man beside him getting impatient as the fingers in his hair curl deeper. 

If that wasn't a sign, the gun suddenly disappeared from his skull before it was shoved into his side. The force was enough to make him yelp as the metal barrel push against his bruises and broken ribs. The fuzzy world flashed white as blinding pain assaulted his mind. 

He won't be lying if he said that he also wants Red Robin to stop the bomb as soon as possible so that the man would stop hurting him just to torment Tim. 

Jason tried to meet his brother's eyes, hidden behind the cowl. 'Stop the bomb, Tim,' he tried to say. 'Just do it, please.' 

When Tim finally moved, Jason closed his eyes, feeling the tension leaving him. 

This is it. 

When the sound burst and the pain hits, he bit back any noise he might make. Tim doesn't need to hear any more than the gunshot. Tim doesn't need to suffer any more than he already was. 

Jason felt the bullet tear through him. It feels agonisingly slow despite the speed of the projectile. He curled into himself as much as he could as the pain flooded out from his chest. It flares and claws and burns and screams, climbing up to engulf his mind like a fire charging through a dry forest. 

A voice suddenly pierced through the raging cacophony as the rag in his mouth was pulled out. He gasped in a breath, instantly regretting it as his chest twinged and a pained moan slipped out. He distantly wondered if the bullet had gone through his lungs as well. 

Not that it would make any difference. 

"I'm so- sorry, Jason. I didn't- I couldn't- There wasn't-" 

Jason wrenched his eyes open and saw Tim's shaky fingers fumbling with the knots of the rope around his wrist. "Tim," he forced out, wincing as it pricked his chest. His brother turned to him, apology falling away as did his fingers. "Cowl off. Take my mask off." He wants to see his younger brother. Talk to his younger brother. One last time. Masks are shields, barricades. 

Tim looked confused by the demand but complied, pulling back his cowl. His shaky hands reached out as he gently peeled away the mask covering Jason's eyes before reaching for the ropes again. 

"Don't." Guilt and grief-tinted blue eyes turned to him again, confusion and pain swirling. Jason wanted to wrap his arms around his brother but the binds held tight and he doesn't have much time. His voice was hoarse and stuttery as he spoke, "Don't. Won't do... anything. Just... come 'ere." 

Tim didn't hesitate to throw himself onto him, Jason barely managed to hide a wince as his injured arm was pressured. Instead, he leaned into his younger brother's head buried into his chest. A muffled "Sorry" floated up. 

"Hey, hey. Don't ‘pologise." Jason wishes he is strong enough to hide the pain from his voice. "It isn't... your fault, okay? You had-" 

"I should have saved you. I-I could have. But I wasn-" 

"You couldn't. And I don't... blame you for it." He bit his lip as his chest flared up sharply. Tim gave no reply, only tightening his hold and burrowing further. Unsatisfied, Jason tried again, "Tim. Timmy. Look at me." 

He did, eyes wide and red. But dry. 

"This... this whole debacle, you are not to blame. It is not on you. Do you understand?" 

Tim shook his head. "But I- You're _shot_ \- _I_ got you shot and you- you're _dying_!" 

Jason held back the urge to make a joke about already dying once. Tim doesn't need to hear it. "No. What... you did was... you save the people. What you did was the right thing. You saved hundreds of lives, Tim." 

"But at what cost!" Tim's eyes were wild, guilt-laced frustration seeping into his tone. "Bruce, Dick and Alfred lost you once and they are going to lose you again." His voice broke into a wavering whisper. " _I_ am going to lose you, Jay." 

Jason ignored the guilt building inside him. He knows that this is going to destroy all of them. The entire family. But this is for the better. "I know. I'm sorry. But I can't have you sacrificing innocents-" 

" _And you're not innocent_?! What makes you so sure that I won't let others die just so that you can live?" 

Jason closed his eyes against the pain stealing his breath and Tim's accusing guilt-ridden glare. He isn't innocent, he knows that much. He murdered, stole, tortured. He even tried to kill this same brother who is saying that he would sacrifice hundreds just to save him. And while he knows that Tim is speaking purely with his emotions and not his mind, the younger is also speaking with his heart, and that is enough to make Jason regret everything he has done to hurt him. When he looks at Tim again, he spoke with as much strength as he could muster. "Because I wouldn't want that, Tim. I don't want to see you live with the knowledge that so many have died because you didn’t make the right choice. I would rather _die_ than see you carry that burden." 

Tim's eyes shone with tears as he seethed, "I _hate_ you." 

"I'm sorry. This shouldn't be you." Tim shouldn't have to go through this again. Not after losing so much in his short life. "But don't, _don't ever_ think it is your fault, okay?" A furious shake of a head was the reply, a protest tumbling out. "Just... do it for me, Tim." 

"I c-can't- It is-" 

" _Please..._ " 

Blue eyes wavered and screwed shut, a sob racking through his body. Before there was a hesitant, "...okay." 

"Thank you. I love you, Tim." 

Tim's reply was muted as he buried back into Jason's battered chest. He pressed his lips into his younger brother's hair, hoping to convey everything he felt. 

The ring in his ears has heightened as his heart and lungs throbbed incomprehensibly. It took all of Jason's energy to not outwardly react to any of the pain, not wanting to distress Tim any further. He is suffering enough as it is. 

A voice broke through his pain. "Jay... no..." Dick. 

Dick is here? 

Jason forced himself to look up and saw Batman in front of him, Nightwing not far behind. He suddenly felt protective over his younger brother as his eyes narrowed at the older vigilante. Tim doesn't need Bruce's criticism or curt words. 'This isn't his fault and don't let him blame himself either,' he tried to say with his gaze. It isn't any of theirs really. If it is anyone's, it has to be that bastard with the gun. 

When he is sure that Bruce is not going to say anything, Jason let his head fall back, resting it on Tim's, trying to comfort his brother the best he can. 

The rope around his right wrist loosens as he felt a hand hovering over his bullet wound. He tiredly lifted his head and met the white lenses of Batman's cowl. 'Don't,' he mouthed, not wanting Tim to overhear. Not to mention his twinging chest that would only flare painfully at every uttered word. 'Too late.' It is too late to patch him up, to get him back to the cave. It is too late to save him. 

Bruce stilled, his hands pulling away from the wound bleeding out onto the brown jacket. 

Tim burrowed deeper into him, words and sobs too muffled to catch. Jason felt his heart break at the thought of leaving his family. 'Take care of him. Of everyone,' he told his father. For a moment, he felt the darkness pulling him back but he pushed away from it determinedly, _desperately_ and focused his attention on Bruce. He doesn't have much time. 'Sorry.' For everything. For coming back vengeful. For threatening everyone. For pushing his father away. 'Love you.' 

Bruce stood up, kissing his forehead and Jason couldn’t help but leaned into the touch. It's the last time he ever can. 

"No..." Dick's voice floated through his mind. "No, Jason, not yet. Please." He turned his attention to his elder brother, who is squeezing his unbound arm tightly. It hurts, but Jason relished in the pain. This is the brother he despised when he came back to life, yet admired before he died the first time. And now, he is feeling guilty for having to leave him again. 

Jason forced a weak smile. 'Love you too. Thanks, Dick.' For everything. For believing in him even when he is not in a stable state of mind and doesn’t believe himself. For being a brother, despite the elder’s constant stumbles and mistakes. He hopes Dick would continue to be there for Tim, Bruce and the rest of the family. 

There is so much more he wanted to say, to do. He wants to apologise to his family for hurting them. He wants to hug them all and say that he loves them. 

But the last sand of his second life has fallen from the hourglass. He felt his heart seized and lungs clawing itself as he tried to bite back a cry. He doesn't want to leave his family behind but as his strength wavers, he knows he has no choice. He barely managed to feel the warmth of his eldest brother and father before darkness drags him under. 

He hopes they would forgive him for leaving them and move on. 

**Author's Note:**

> At the moment this is it for the series. I said in the Choice of Execution that I might write another fic focused on Tim. Well after writing this I kinda lose that inspiration, mostly because I am unsure of how to do it (I know what it would be like, but I meant in a writing sense). So even if I do write it, it would not be anytime soon.
> 
> So I hope you have enjoyed that! Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
